Ride, Boldly, Ride: El Dorado

El Dorado (1966)

"I'm lookin' at a tin star with a... drunk pinned to it." Cole Thornton

When you team up one of my favorite directors with a favorite actor and a good story you have the makings of a film worth watching.

The underappreciated Director Howard Hawks (Scarface, The Big Sleep, Red River) had successes in many genres, but probably the most enduring of his films depict a strong man under tough circumstances.

Hawks led Gary Cooper to his finest performance and a Best Actor Oscar depicting the heroism of homespun Sergeant York at the Argonne Offensive in WWI. It goes without saying that Hawks’ Red River is near the top of the charts in the western genre; fellow director John Ford said "I didn't know the big sonofa--- could act," when he saw John Wayne's powerful performance - while Rio Bravo was a slap at the self-absorbed Hollywood elite and their bleatings against “unfair” scrutiny for some of their questionable activities.

Hawks made Rio Bravo after being disgusted by Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon which he felt depicted “un-American” values: a weak, ineffective sheriff (Gary Cooper) begging for help and being turned down by the townsfolk only to be assisted by his estranged pacifist wife, almost against her will and almost too late.

In response, Hawks made a film where a rugged individualist by the name of “John T. Chance” (John Wayne) held the fort almost single-handedly at the old jailhouse against a mob of villains. The story resonated so well with western fans, he remade it again as El Dorado, and John Carpenter remade it as Assault on Precinct 13. Rio Bravo is #249 on the IMDB Top 250 films.

Howard Hawks has influenced many directors who have become famous in their own right, Peter Bogdanovich, Robert Altman, and Brian De Palma (who remade Scarface and dedicated it to Hawks), to name a few. In short, despite lack of critical recognition, my advice is: if you want entertainment, almost any Hawks film will deliver the goods, and at or near the top of its genre.

El Dorado explores the familiar Hawks motifs - honor, loyalty, self-reliance, and a man's sense of his own mortality. John Wayne (Stagecoach, The Searchers) plays gunfighter Cole Thornton while Robert Mitchum (The Enemy Below, Thunder Road) plays the sheriff - the "star with a drunk pinned to it," as Duke opines. As foils for the two stars, we have Arthur Hunnicutt (Cat Ballou) as an old codger and a then unknown James Caan (The Godfather) as Alan Bourdillion Traherne which no one can pronounce, so he just goes by "Mississippi."

The plot elements tick off predictably, but Hawks does such a good job of staging them and the players seem to be enjoying themselves immensely and interact so well it is a real pleasure to see them play off each other.

For love interests we have the mature Charlene Holt and the pretty girl in the tight-a$$ jeans Michele Carey. As bad guys we have the repulsive Ed Asner (Lou Grant) and Christopher George (The Rat Patrol, Midway). Dialog is from the Harry Brown novel filtered through the able imagination of Leigh Brackett, one of the best screenwriters. The only weakness in the casting is Ed Asner, but he's easy to overlook as the quotable dialog passes thick and fast while the bullets fly.

Finally, the camera and lighting by old master Harold Rossen (The Wizard of Oz, and many more) evoked subtle emotions that really make viewing El Dorado a special experience that the whole family will enjoy.

The Paramount DVD is presented in 1.85:1 theatrical format and the color and appearance of the 126 minute film are as pristine as if it were brand new. As usual with most of these classic westerns, there are few extra features, the theatrical trailer being the sole extra. Extra features will not make a bad film good, but can make a good film better. It would be nice if the studios would create a little extra content to go with these classics. Unfortunately, most of the principals are no longer with us, but they could hire somebody (hint, hint) to give a little color commentary along with the film...

El Dorado is a great feel-good film that the whole family will enjoy. Brought to you by the master, Howard Hawks.

Other John Wayne films I enjoyed include

Rooster Cogburn

The Shootist

The Cowboys

Enjoy a good film tonight!